San Angelo struggles with ice, snow, wind, cold

A few minor traffic accidents occur Tuesday

Alex Macias and his dog Shadow play in the snow after a weather front brought moisture and freezing temperatures to the area. Video and photos courtesy Alex Macias.

Patrick Dove/Standard-Times
Mackenzie Holt takes a sled down a snow-covered hill at Santa Fe Golf Course as her mother Stephanie looks on. San Angelo schools were closed Tuesday because of bad weather.

Patrick Dove

Cynthia Esparza/Standard-Times
Jodi Carnes (right) gets her son, Bradley, with snow as they play in their front yard. Carnes had to work in the morning from 6 to 9 a.m. but then got to go home and play with her son since school was canceled.

Cynthia Esparza

SAN ANGELO, Texas - Events began as predicted about 11:30 p.m. Monday with lightning illuminating a chaotic cloud cover, followed by heavy rain.

Toward 1:30 a.m. snow began, big flakes falling in light wind punctuated with occasional bursts of thunder. The Hallmark atmosphere lasted only a short while, leaving behind an uneven cover of heavy snow which began to freeze over about 3 a.m. The wind picked up and the cold began in earnest.

Heat from the 80 degree high on Monday kept the roadways warm until just before dawn, when the slush began to solidify in ruts and splashes like surf, frozen in a moment. The rare passing vehicle sounded like a small icebreaker.

Dark tire tracks cut through the snow on the road in the early morning, and vehicles crawled over the icy streets. The ice had sealed car doors shut, so that they wouldn't open without a fight. Ice floated in the Concho River at one downtown crossing, and the ground crunched under foot.

Police said that as of 8 a.m. Tuesday there had been no crashes or injuries.

"A couple of eighteen-wheelers were stranded because of the icy conditions," San Angelo Police Department spokesman Lt. David Howard said. Police officers could be heard fielding requests on the radio, getting people unstuck.

Howard said there were a few minor crashes and some stranded vehicles later in the day.

Elsewhere in the county, crashes did happen before 7 a.m. Slick roads sent two semi-trucks off the road in separate incidents.

"We've only had two reported crashes early this morning," said Trooper Shawn Baxter, a spokesman with the Department of Public Safety.

One crash off Highway 87 South won't be cleaned up until Thursday, Baxter said.

Overall, Baxter said later, he was thankful nothing major happened during the day.

"It was uneventful," Baxter said. "Our biggest concern is this evening with the roads refreezing. Then you'll have black ice and patches of ice."

Howard also warned about black ice, particularly around bridges and overpasses.

Black ice is a thin coating of ice that appears to be shiny bare pavement.

Karen Threlkeld, Texas Department of Transportation spokeswoman, said TXDoT crews were on the road spreading de-icing solution since midnight Tuesday.

Getting Loop 306 cleared was the main focus, she said early Tuesday.

Joel Dunn, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Angelo, said San Angelo received .31 inches of snow and sleet and .68 inches of rain from the event.

American Electric Power Texas, which owns the power transmission lines, reported no major problems in the San Angelo area.

There were some outages early Tuesday morning because of the heavy thunderstorms that came through the area, said Fred Hernandez, an AEP Texas spokesman.

He said there were 10 AEP employees out most of the night, working to restore power to the affected users before daytime Tuesday. Most of the affected areas were in the counties around San Angelo.

"There is nothing major going on at this time," Andy Heines, the manager for corporate communications, said late Tuesday. "We're standing at ready right now."

Shannon Medical Center and San Angelo Community Medical Center reported no cases of people receiving treatment for cold-related conditions such as frostbite or hypothermia Tuesday evening.

The Tom Green County Clerk's office closed early Tuesday and will remain closed all day Wednesday. The vehicle registration office was closed all day Tuesday. Schools closed, the Angelo State University campus was closed and many events were postponed across the city as some residents bunkered down and others struggled in the cold and ice.

At the Tom Green County courthouse, pretrials for jailed defendants were rescheduled to 2 p.m. Friday because the court did not want jail inmates slipping as they crossed the street.

Outside the courthouse midmorning, flurries drifted under gray skies. Nearby, Good Samaritans were out pushing stranded vehicles onto the icy street, helping motorists get moving again. Passers-by teamed up to push the front end of vehicles from the icy curb as the driver hit the gas trying to gain traction. Once traction was achieved, drivers smiled, waved and drove away. Cars and trucks fishtailed at traffic lights.

Plumbers and furnace tradesman are expecting the worst when the cold is over.

Cecil Sain, owner of Air Dynamics Inc., said business was light Tuesday.

"We've had a few calls for heater service, not too bad today. No damaged pipe calls. When it thaws out, that's when it happens," he said. "We had a little trouble with the roads getting the vans out this morning."

Monty Greathouse at Superior Services said the freeze racked up a few pipes and tanks.

"We've had a few calls on frozen lines busted and heater calls," he said. "On Thursday and Friday, it's gonna get crazy. People think it's froze up now, but when it thaws out, they're gonna find it's busted. My plumbers will be working overtime for sure.

"Today we are just trying to get people out safely on the slick roads."

Day & Night plumbing owner Donald Christian had advice for householders: "We haven't had any problems so far, but that will happen when the pipes thaw out. When you have cold weather that stays consistently cold for several days, that's when you see problems.

"People should leave their faucets dripping."

The weather was an unaccustomed hardship for animals as well as people. Animal lovers phoned the city's Animal Control line, requesting welfare checks on pets they saw outdoors in the frigid air.

"We go to make sure the animals have sufficient shelter, food and water," said Toby Allen, an Animal Control officer.

The city's director of animal services, Julie Vrana, said animal control officers will talk to the dog owner if they find inadequate conditions and explain responsibilities.

"By city ordinance you have to have a doghouse or shelter, food and water, they have to be in a (fenced) area, and they can't be tied up for more than two hours," Vrana said. "Our officers cannot go into someone's yard without permission. Some dogs aren't meant to live in the house, and we can't force an owner to move it inside. But if we see an animal in distress that is not in someone's yard, the officer will bring it in for shelter. We won't allow an animal to suffer."

Dr. Todd Henderson, owner of San Angelo Veterinary Hospital, said it is "very rare to see animals come in with cold-related health issues." He recalled two years ago that a kitten was brought in with frostbite on its ears.

"Most outdoor animals find a place to stay warm," he said. "The smaller dogs that would be at risk are usually kept inside."

A veterinarian's office would see animals that are being taken care of — not the ones that are neglected.

"Our belief is that in weather like this, pets need to brought inside," said Tom Green County Humane Society executive director Jenie Wilson. "And people should make sure their pets have enough water."

Even animals adapted to outdoor living are at risk when their water bowls freeze over.